During the Victorian Era, there were three distinct literary movements. These were the Pre-Raphaelite movement, the Aesthetic and Decadent Movement, and the New Woman fiction. Although most of society in the Victorian era placed emphasis on conformity and social standards, each of these three movements stressed radicalism and non-conformity. They all believed that writing was a form of expression and should be about creating new things rather than following the norms of society.
PRE-RAPHAELITES
The Pre-Raphaelites startled society with their paintings that challenged traditional notions of beauty and art. They made paintings that portrayed legendary figures in distorted ways that clashed quite strongly with the norm of the the time. This was exactly what the Pre-Raphaelites intended. They believed the only way to revitalize the strict artistic society was to present art that was revolutionary in nature. They believed that art should be fresh, creative, imaginative, and passionate. The movement disintegrated around 1852, but their impact on the literary and artistic caused their ideas to carry well into the 1880's.
AESTHETICISM AND DECADENCE
From the start, Aestheticism was interpreted as a rebellion against morality. This was because the movement rejected all the former rules of art and this made it seem perverse and sexual in nature. Decadent poets were fascinated with exquisite pleasures and dedicated many of their poems to such topics. Decadent poets were known as such, but their style was not uniform and consistent. In fact, many poets differed wildly from each other.
NEW WOMAN FICTION
New Woman Fiction consisted of the feminist views of the era. Many themes in New Woman Fiction style literature were about fighting for woman equality to males. It challenged conventional ideas of the woman's role in society. Particularly, the woman's domestic responsibility, the woman's sexual responsibility, and the woman's marital responsibility. In addition, authors in the New Woman Fiction movement argued for improved social and civil rights, though many of these rights wouldn't be fully realized until well into the mid-20th century. New Woman Fiction was criticized mercilessly by the more conservative-minded critics of the era, often with immature, unprofessional remarks that only served to propel the negative perception of women and men who believed in female equality.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Each of these literary movements existed almost exclusively to challenge the convential thoughts and beliefs of the time. The Victorian Era was a period of intense structure and society had many rules concerning what was appropriate and proper. The appearance of these literary movements was quite controversial, but it could have easily been predicted when taking the strict standards of the time into account. Some people were bound to find fault with society. While each of the movements ended with the Victorian Era, many of the ideas they presented have been echoed even in present day society with the conflicts over women's rights, homosexuality, "gothic" culture, and many other people who simply choose not follow the convential morality of the time.
VICTORIAN ERA
During the Victorian Era, there were three distinct literary movements. These were the Pre-Raphaelite movement, the Aesthetic and Decadent Movement, and the New Woman fiction. Although most of society in the Victorian era placed emphasis on conformity and social standards, each of these three movements stressed radicalism and non-conformity. They all believed that writing was a form of expression and should be about creating new things rather than following the norms of society.
PRE-RAPHAELITES
The Pre-Raphaelites startled society with their paintings that challenged traditional notions of beauty and art. They made paintings that portrayed legendary figures in distorted ways that clashed quite strongly with the norm of the the time. This was exactly what the Pre-Raphaelites intended. They believed the only way to revitalize the strict artistic society was to present art that was revolutionary in nature. They believed that art should be fresh, creative, imaginative, and passionate. The movement disintegrated around 1852, but their impact on the literary and artistic caused their ideas to carry well into the 1880's.AESTHETICISM AND DECADENCE
From the start, Aestheticism was interpreted as a rebellion against morality. This was because the movement rejected all the former rules of art and this made it seem perverse and sexual in nature. Decadent poets were fascinated with exquisite pleasures and dedicated many of their poems to such topics. Decadent poets were known as such, but their style was not uniform and consistent. In fact, many poets differed wildly from each other.NEW WOMAN FICTION
New Woman Fiction consisted of the feminist views of the era. Many themes in New Woman Fiction style literature were about fighting for woman equality to males. It challenged conventional ideas of the woman's role in society. Particularly, the woman's domestic responsibility, the woman's sexual responsibility, and the woman's marital responsibility. In addition, authors in the New Woman Fiction movement argued for improved social and civil rights, though many of these rights wouldn't be fully realized until well into the mid-20th century. New Woman Fiction was criticized mercilessly by the more conservative-minded critics of the era, often with immature, unprofessional remarks that only served to propel the negative perception of women and men who believed in female equality.FINAL THOUGHTS
Each of these literary movements existed almost exclusively to challenge the convential thoughts and beliefs of the time. The Victorian Era was a period of intense structure and society had many rules concerning what was appropriate and proper. The appearance of these literary movements was quite controversial, but it could have easily been predicted when taking the strict standards of the time into account. Some people were bound to find fault with society. While each of the movements ended with the Victorian Era, many of the ideas they presented have been echoed even in present day society with the conflicts over women's rights, homosexuality, "gothic" culture, and many other people who simply choose not follow the convential morality of the time.
WORKS CITED
Moran, Maureen. "Victorian Literature and Culture". Google Books. April 27th, 2009 <http://books.google.com/books?id=3hA8gODEo8sC&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=Victorian+Literary+movements&source=bl&ots=BJgPTUz2SI&sig=IeiM-zPNN_BQhxGi_juciMyylkM&hl=en&ei=PAsCStbFF8-rtgeqiYCPBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6>.